Challenge

I was tasked with creating and pitching a human-centred social or commercial enterprise in Auckland that uses design to solve a real-world problem and enhance social, cultural, or community well-being.

DISCOVER

My curiosity towards climate action and how everyday behaviours influence environmental impact led me into further academic research, where I found key statistics in Auckland where,

Main insight from research

There's a lack understanding of the food waste system and food scrap bins feel unnecessary and more food ends up in landfill.

DEFINE

I wondered...

What was there a lack of understanding of? And why does it make it feel unnecessary? From in-depth user interviews, I found common themes in the responses that pointed to a lack of visibility and awareness of the benefits of food scrap bins.

Talking to a lot of young Aucklander's who are environmentally conscious, there were a lot of comments on:

The refined direction became:

CLARIFY

After, proposing the solution, and did extensive research on competitors with similar products.

An example of how the competitor, Kitro, uses the idea

To further understand where I can position this in the market, I did further case studies and SWOT analysis on competitors with similar products.

I saw an opportunity to simplify the concept for the target audience and applied key features to my solution:

Key Features & Opportunities

CONCEPTUALISE

From research to design

I developed a user storymap, then took this to create a sitemap for how I wanted the app to work, taking in to account the opportunities from the learned competitor analysis, integrating the key features.

Through continuous iterative testing on the target audience to ensure that the flow was as simple and straightforward as possible.

OUTCOME

1. Personalise

Onboarding process with their own personal bin to make it their own.

2. Impact

Check their impact and progress over time to see the benefits of their actions and encourage continued use.

3. Tips

Get tips on how to reduce food waste and make the most of your scraps.

REFLECTION

Finding opportunity in what already exists

I learned to take inspiration from existing products more critically by identifying gaps in the market and applying them to my target audience. This helped me move more intentionally from competitor analysis into wireframing and prototyping with clearer purpose.

This project made me realise I’m really drawn to the thinking behind user behaviour. What people do, why they do it, and how those patterns can inform better design decisions. Instead of focusing purely on the final output, I found myself valuing the process of research, observation, and uncovering insight.

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